THE ROLE OF GRATITUDE IN SPIRITUAL, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH Cover Image

A HÁLA SZEREPE LELKI, MENTÁLIS ÉS FIZIKAI EGÉSZSÉGÜNKBEN
THE ROLE OF GRATITUDE IN SPIRITUAL, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

Author(s): Andrea Ferenczi
Subject(s): History of Church(es), Biblical studies, Systematic Theology, Pastoral Theology
Published by: Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai
Keywords: gratitude; gratitude-diary; subjective well-being; mental health;

Summary/Abstract: The Role of Gratitude in Spiritual, Mental and Physical Health. Psalm 50 demonstrates complicated requirements of relationships towards both God and our neighbours in terms of gratitude, as well as in the realm of hope for divine libera-tion. Having evolved layers of meaning, in the psalm, the expression “liberation” – the linguistic root “jesa” – seems to have wide collocations. Getting released from an enemy is the immediate equivalent, but the spectrum of meaning covers, among others, escape from exigency, psychological burden, or bodily disease. We started to examine interrelations between gratitude and liberation with psychological means some years ago. Through exploring terrains of gratitude as a construct, we hope to get closer to the understanding of human nature and behaviour. Our results may serve therapeutic intervention by bringing closer those who are engaged in counsel-lor and psychology professionals. My present study wishes to describe the notion of gratitude from the perspec-tives of religious and cultural studies and more broadly, from the aspects of psy-chology. The review of some research results is meant to underline interrelations be-tween gratitude and mental health. Finally, some of our own researches support the idea that gratitude is a capacity you can acquire and improve throughout your life. Experiencing and expressing gratitude may provide room for something new and may afford space for recovery to happen, for willingness to occur, so that liberation could come into being.

  • Issue Year: 65/2020
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 211-230
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: Hungarian